Lightning Before the Thunder
by EllieBear75
Summary: Journalist Veronica Mars may win a Pulitzer for the story she uncovered from a very unlikely source. A short fic started during Promptober 2018 inspired by LisaWolfe's series "Lightning Strikes Twice."
1. Chapter 1

Veronica tapped the tip of her pen rapidly against the metal spine of her notebook. Glancing at the large clock in the bar at the Neptune Grande, she frowned. 2:15 pm – her interview was officially late. Not that she really wanted to be here anyway. Being a junior writer for "L.A. Now" meant that she had to take every assignment given to her by her editor. The drive down from Los Angeles gave her plenty of time to come up with questions for the new Mayor of Neptune, but there was only one that kept playing on repeat in her mind:

 _How the hell did this happen?_

Shifting in her high-back chair, she adjusted her pencil skirt, pulling the hem lower towards her knees. Two days ago, she received the assignment. One day ago, she deemed every outfit in her closet unacceptable and spent the last of her food budget for the month on this ultra-professional –looking pencil skirt, white silk v-neck blouse, and blazer. She really hoped her dad sent her home with leftovers when she went to his place for lasagne later.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." A husky voice projected from behind her and she jumped to her feet, trying to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest. "My meeting ran..."

Logan Echolls' mouth dropped open between the whiskers of his closely trimmed beard, his hand frozen in mid air pointed towards her in offer of a handshake, his eyes wide in shock.

"Hey." Veronica smiled, clutching the pen in her hand for dear life.

"Hey." He exhaled, his large brown eyes working their down her body before landing back on her face.

For a second she paused, taking him in as well. Gone was the boy she left behind all those years ago, and instead, he was replaced by this Tom Ford wearing, towering political figure of a man. She had done the research leading up to the interview – seen the photos and read the other stories – but it still didn't seem real until now.

"Not a ghost. Actually me." She chuckled with a shrug, trying to break the tension. "Since you look like you're seeing one."

The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile. "I think I have. It's been a while, Veronica Mars. **I almost forgot** what you looked like."

Veronica's stomach turned, remembering the last time she saw him in the cafeteria all those years ago, beating the bloody hell out of Gory before laying the man at her feet in penance for all that had gone wrong.

"Have I changed that much?" She whispered, lost for a moment in thoughts of them.

Logan shrugged, walking around the coffee table and taking a seat in the matching chair just opposite from her, adjusting the sleeves on his suit jacket before placing his hands on the sturdy arms of the chair.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out, won't we." He smirked, his eyes twinkling back at her. "You neglected to tell my Executive Assistant your name when you made this appointment for 'L.A. Now' so some things about you haven't changed."

Pursing her lips, Veronica lowered herself back into her chair, flipping open her notebook but saying nothing. So this was how it was going to be – first strike, Logan Echolls.

Tapping her pen against the paper, Veronica kept her gaze locked on her questions. "Since you're late, maybe we should just get to the questions. I know you're a very busy man now."

"I may be busy, but I will always have time for you, Veronica," he said, his voice quiet and sincere. "If I had known it was you that was interviewing me, I would have cancelled every other appointment I had for the day."

Glancing up quickly, she watched him open the button on his jacket, leaning forward towards her. "Ask me anything and I'll answer it for you."

Biting the side of her lip, Veronica looked across her notes again. She had a job to do. She had all the information about his quick rise to power – his degree in political science, how he found out his opponent was on the take and had him arrested by the Securities Commission, his landslide win without the help of Neptune's richest families.

"What I want is the story that I couldn't find online," she said, slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I know your political **platform** , your key messages on the issues, but I want the truth."

His eyes narrowed, darting around the space to see who else was around to hear their conversation. "What truth?"

"Your opponent was not just anyone – you took out Duncan Kane. You and I both know that Jake had been grooming him all his life – he returned to Neptune with Lilly just to run for office on Jake's insistence. You knocked out the prodigal son of Neptune and your old best friend and I'm the only other person on the planet that knows how hard that would be on a professional and personal level." Veronica stated, leaning towards him. "And I want to know what you aren't' telling anyone else - which is how and why you did it."

Pressing his lips together, Logan's face grew dark in a way she had only seen a few times. Rising quickly, he swept himself over to the chair right next to hers, his face coming in close as he leaned over the arm of the chair.

"You know as well as I do that Duncan wasn't fit to hold office. I don't care what kind of law degree he got in Australia, or what prime ministers he worked for." Logan hissed, his eyes darting around them to make sure no one was listening. "After what he did to you, that man had no right to hold office."

Veronica lurched back, her lip shaking as she processed what he was saying. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean – what he did to you at Shelley Pomroy's party. And what he did to Meg too for that matter – getting her pregnant then leaving her the minute he knew we had broken up. I couldn't see it then, but over the years, I realized what a snake my best friend was, and the minute I saw him again, I knew what I had to do."

"How?" She whispered, trying to find her words. "How did you do it?"

A wide grin spread across his face as a chuckle escaped from deep in his chest. "I guess your dad really does keep with his confidentiality clause."

Veronica's brain was clearly not working, because she swore she heard Logan Echolls tell her that Keith Mars helped him. "Dad? _My_ dad?"

"Yes. Your dad. Funny thing is that whatever problems he may have had with me paled in comparison to the problems he had with the Kane family. He was more than happy to follow the few leads I had." Leaning back, he crossed his arms, the grin still plastered to his face. "And since the first best investigator I knew was gone, I had to settle for him."

Letting out a deep breath, Veronica moved back away from him, her mind turning at a furious pace. Once again, Logan had taken out one of the men in her life that had caused her pain – she just didn't know it at the time. Over the years, Duncan had only returned to her in nightmare form as her mind tried to fill in the blanks of the night he raped her. In college, Logan had been the only one she trusted with her nightmares – being the only one who witnessed them then. Right now, it seemed, he was back to being one of the few people she could still trust, even after all these years.

"If you want the story, I'll give you the story, Veronica," he said, interjecting into her thoughts. "But might I suggest we move up to the Penthouse, where no one can overhear our conversation."

Her head jerked back in shock. "You live here? Still?"

His deep laugh warmed her as he smiled back at her. "Why not? There's security, maid service, a gym and pool...and privacy."

A different warmth ran through her as she remembered their time together in the same space. "Oh. Right."

Standing, Logan offered her his hand, his smile never wavering. "Come on. You already know I don't bite – unless asked that is. Why don't we go upstairs and I can tell you the full story, guaranteed to win you a Pulitzer."

Her eyes narrowed as she smirked at him. "A Pulitzer, huh?"

Placing her hand in his, he pulled gently, guiding her up from her seat. When she stood, she was mere inches from him and she could feel his breath on her face just above her, sending a ripple of excitement through her. Pausing, she looked up into his eyes, still sparkling down at her with that youthful glee she remembered.

"Come on." His hand slipped down to her lower back to guide her around the table and her breath involuntarily hitched at his touch. "Do I have a story to tell you, Ms. Mars."

Turning away from him, Veronica stepped around the chair, pausing as he caught up to her. "And I can't wait to hear all about it, Mayor Echolls."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Jake used Duncan's alias in Australia to buy and sell Kane Software stocks using his own insider information." Veronica read from her notes, trying to wrap her head around the past two hours of conversation with Logan.

"Correct," he said, reaching into a large cobalt blue bowl on the bar and producing a bright red apple. Tossing it in the air, he caught it with both hands before raising it to his mouth and taking a large bite.

"And you found out accidentally when his girlfriend mentioned his prowess with stocks," she continued, glancing up as Logan stalked around the room, consuming his apple.

"Also correct."

"So you hired my dad to look into it and he followed the trail to implicate both Duncan and Jake."

"Exactly." Logan smiled, tossing the apple in the air again and catching it with ease. "I mean, I told you all the little ins and outs of the whole thing, but that's the general gist of it."

Flipping the note paper up and down, Veronica skimmed the pages of notes. The entire story was way more fascinating than she made it sound – she just had to wrap her head around it back in L.A.

"And your motivation was…"

"..you." He interjected, stopping behind one of the white leather chairs, his eyes connecting with hers.

Veronica's mouth went dry, her heartbeat pausing for the briefest moment.

"I know but…I can't write that." She stammered. "It's unethical for me to be a part of this story, plus I can't substantiate what happened at the party so to say that this was because of what Duncan did to me…"

"I always believed you. Even when you couldn't admit to yourself what happened with Duncan was…well…less than consensual." Logan leaned towards her, his hand gripping the back of the chair. "Are you mad at me for going after Duncan?"

"No. I'm not." Tapping her pen on the paper, Veronica frowned at the words scrawled across. "Did you tell my dad _why_ you were going after Duncan?"

Logan shrugged. "He never asked. He probably figured it may have something to do with you, but he never asked and I never told him. It's not my secret to tell."

Closing the notebook, Veronica looked up at Logan's eyes as they narrowed, his jaw clenched tightly.

"So political rivalry, nothing more."

Exhaling, Logan stood, pivoting towards the bar before launching what was left of his apple towards the trash bin. "Political rivalry, nothing more." He repeated, turning back toward her and crossing his arms.

Sitting back in her chair, Veronica let her eyes indulgently wander down his tall form. Approximately five minutes after they arrived in the room, Logan had loosened his black tie and collar, and shed his jacket. The pressed pleats ran from his leather belt all the way down to his polished black shoes and Veronica could tell the way they perfectly fit his form that it was probably custom tailored. Even his white shirt – from collar to French cuffs – seemed designed to show off his fit body underneath.

"So, I guess that's that." Leaning back against the wall, he started unhooking one silver cuff link, then the other and tucking them in his pocket and rolling up his sleeves to his elbows.

"I guess." Veronica whispered. "I should probably go."

Reaching for her jacket thrown haphazardly over the arm of the couch, Veronica stood, clutching her notebook close to her.

"Stay for dinner." Logan quickly moved across the suite, scooping up a large menu sitting on the small bistro table near the balcony doors. "Order whatever you want – prime rib, a steak…whatever that Veronica Mars appetite is craving."

Checking her watch, Veronica frowned. "It's only 4:30 pm. Did you also become a senior citizen when you became Mayor?"

Chuckling, Logan tossed the menu back on the table, scratching his beard, his eyes dropping as a bashful grin spread across his face. "Yeah. I guess it is."

"I made plans to go over to my dad's for dinner tonight. He's expecting me around six-ish."

"Oh. Okay."

The silence between them spread, covering the space with the unspoken thoughts that could only come from two people separated by circumstance, brought back together by a twist of fate. Memories swelled in Veronica's mind of her and Logan, in this very hotel room, what seemed like a lifetime ago. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander towards the closed bedroom doors, just steps away from where she was now. So many nights spent together on both sides of those doors, and yet, in the greater scheme of her life, it was only a small drop in time that seemed to ripple out, spreading over every part of her existence.

"The fish are gone," Logan muttered, his eyes following hers to towards the doors. "About two years ago, they redesigned everything."

"Oh."

Her eyes dropped towards the carpet – remembering the tacky swirl pattern that once covered the floors and how it once gave her a spectacular rug burn down her back.

"Yeah. Now there's a big landscape painting. But I kind of still miss lying in bed, looking up at the fish." He chuckled again.

Veronica's cheeks grew warm as the conversation paused once more and she could tell by the way Logan averted his eyes from her, his teeth dragging across his lip, that he was thinking about how they would lay in bed together, laughing at the ridiculous metal fish on the hideous glass background that 'swam'' above them.

"Harold and Maude." Biting her thumb nail, she fought back a smile.

"Yeah. Those were their names. Harold was on my side, Maude was on yours." Reaching behind his head, Logan rubbed the back of his neck and she watched his bicep flex against his shirt.

Her chest tightened and Veronica pursed her lips together, trying to hold back the gasp of emotion that spread through her. All of a sudden, it was all too much. Too much memory. Too much regret.

"I should go," she murmured again, shuffling quickly past the coffee table towards the door.

Sweeping across the room, Logan caught up with her at the door, his hand coming to rest on her arm just as she reached for the knob and she paused, her heart beating hard for flight.

"If you need anything, Veronica – for the story or...anything..."

His body hovered behind her so close she could feel the heat from him, but just far enough to give her the space she needed. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, pulling the scent of Logan into her memory one last time. Once upon a time, Logan smelled like sweat and sandalwood and salt from the ocean; now, he smelled of musk and orange and woody cedar from what was probably the finest men's department in Neptune. Both were still intoxicating to her and she slowed her breathing, taking him in.

When his fingers began to slide from her bare arm up, across her blouse, before resting on her shoulder, all the hairs on Veronica's body stood on end. Releasing the door from her grasp, she let her arm fall to the side as his hand grasped her other shoulder, squeezing it gently. Dropping her other arm, she let her blazer and notebook fall to the ground as her body began to surrender to one thought and one thought only.

Turning slowly in his grasp, Veronica's eyes met Logan's. "What if...what if I need you?"

Slipping his hand up to her face, his thumb brushed along her jaw line as his palm cradled her cheek. Her hand covered his as they stayed locked in each other's gaze before slowly, tentatively Logan leaned down to brush his lips across hers. She replied to his kiss with her own, pushing herself up on the balls of her feet to press her body against his.

The last time she met him in this doorway, they were still teens – frantic and overwhelmed with urgency. Now, Veronica let him carefully kiss her, her arms wrapping around his neck to hold her too him, with all the patience in the world. If their years apart could teach her anything, it was that they had time. As their lips connected back and forth – going from soft gentle strokes between them to deep and passionate - Veronica slid her hands between them, reaching to loosen his tie and letting it drop to the ground at their feet. Her fingers shook ever so slightly as she found the first button on his shirt and she paused for a heartbeat before slipping it open. As she continued he moaned, his lips vibrating against hers. When she got to the last button along his belt line his hands dropped from the sides of her face to rest on her hips, his fingers slowly pulling her skirt higher on her thighs.

Pulling away from their kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers, their eyes connecting again as he nodded, silently asking for her consent as he did every time they were together.

"Yes," she gasped, her heart finally connecting with her words.

In a moment she was off her feet, her legs wrapped around his waist as the hem of her skirt rose all the way to her hips. Pressing her palms to his bearded cheeks she smiled as he began carrying her through the room. Peppering small kisses on his lips, his nose, his ear, and finally his neck while they moved, Veronica let out a deep sigh of contentment as he made his way into the bedroom, pausing at the foot of the king sized bed.

"I lied to you before," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "When I said I almost forgot what you looked like."

"What do you mean?" She replied, her eyebrows coming together as she frowned.

"The truth is I have thought about you every day since you left. There is absolutely no way I could forget."

Her lip trembling, Veronica nodded. "So have I. I tried so hard not to, but I couldn't stop myself. Even though I tried to stop my head, my heart kept reminding me about you."

Releasing her gently, she knelt on the edge of the bed as he stood in front of her. Keeping their eyes locked on one another, Veronica slowly unbuttoned her blouse before sliding it off her arms, letting it drop onto the bed. She heard Logan's breathe hitch at the sight of her in her white lace bra and she couldn't help but smirk when her eyes wandered, noticing his pants growing tighter. Reaching around, she unzipped her skirt, pausing for a moment before sliding it down her thighs to her knees, revealing a small white lace triangle of fabric keeping what was left of her naked body covered.

The corner of Logan's mouth twitched up into a grin and he leaned towards her, his finger slipping past the lace thong to brush against her, intimately.

"Do you always dress like this for interviews?" He teased, his long finger sliding between her moist folds, causing her to gasp.

"No..." Her voice shook slightly as the pad of his finger made contact with her clit. "Only you."

Catching her lips with his, his deep, passionate kiss made her head spin and she grasped his shoulders, anchoring herself to him as he continued to stroke her, his fingers now making long, luxurious circles against her clit. He made no move to remove his clothes, instead trailing his kisses down her sternum before pressing against the sheer lace of her bra, his tongue teasing her nipple through the fabric. The bristles of his beard pressed against the soft skin of her breast and she let out a deep moan of satisfaction before he released her, pulling back the lace to bring her hard nipple into his mouth. Watching him manipulate her body in ways only he knew how to manage sent a surge of ecstasy through her and she let herself fall into his complete control, giving in to the waves of pleasure rippling over every part of her.

Soon her moans turned to pleading as the build up became too much to bear, her muscles shaking as she held herself upright. Releasing her suddenly, she groaned at the loss of sensation, dropping onto her back on the bed. In a moment, his hands were on her again, her skirt pulled down her legs before he dropped back down, his face now hovering just above hers. Kissing the tip of her nose, he moved to the side of her, reaching into the side table and extracting a single condom package. Planting another kiss on her forehead, Logan slipped back to the end of the bed and she propped herself up on her elbow, watching as his body was revealed to her – every flexing muscle, every rippling ab, every darkening vein along his skin – as he stripped off his clothes. Placing one knee on the bed, she licked her lips hungrily as he rolled the condom over his long, hard shaft, before leaning over her again, kissing her just below her navel. She giggled as his beard tickled her, her hands grasping his hair as he slipped her panties down her legs, pulling them off past her high black heels. His eyes sparkling back with mischief he wiggled his eyebrows at her in a way that made her know he was leaving the shoes on her tonight.

Kissing his way back up her body, he stopped, his eyes meeting hers again as his cock twitched against her wet lips. Hooking her feet around his legs, she spread herself to him, her hips bucking, hoping to make deeper contact. Kissing her, slowly he guided himself through her, burying his cock deep inside her body as she gasped, enjoying the delicious sensation of having him inside her again. Rocking up against him, they quickly found their rhythm again as their foreheads pressed together, their lips connecting in between deep moans and soft pleading whispers.

As his body tensed above her, Veronica closed her eyes, concentrating only on the waves of pleasure they created together. It wasn't long before her body tensed, her finger nails digging into his back as she hung on to him, her body consumed by her orgasm as she road against him, drawing out the pleasure for as long as she could. It wasn't long before he was coming deep inside her, his body jerking against hers as they cried out their satisfaction, filling the room with their calls.

Her eyes fluttering open, Veronica met Logan's gentle gaze above her, his nose brushing against hers. Reaching her hand down to cup his muscular buttocks, she held him inside her for a second longer.

"I don't want this to end," she whispered, a grin spreading across her face.

Brushing his lips against hers, he grinned back down at her, his face glistening with perspiration. "It doesn't have to – not if you don't want it to."

"Alright," Veronica replied, her hands releasing him.

The loss of connection made them both groan as he pulled away, stepping gingerly to the side of the bed, his back turned as he dealt with the condom. Kicking off her heels, Veronica shimmied to the head of the bed and dove under the warm blankets as he laughed.

"Still too cold for you?"

She nodded, pulling back the covers on his side of the bed. "Yes. If I'm going to stay, you're going to have to turn down the air conditioning."

Coming around the side of the bed, Logan slipped under the covers, pulling her naked body close to his as she squealed with delight.

"Body heat, Bobcat. We'll just have to use body heat."

Releasing a contented sigh, Veronica shifted, curling up in his arms and closing her eyes. "Or...we can do that."


	3. Chapter 3

Logan's fingers trailed down Veronica's spine, sliding gently under the covers, over the soft curve of her buttocks before resting at the very **peak** , his palm spreading across her flesh. Exhaling a contented sigh, Veronica smiled from her place next to Logan – having naturally returned to _her_ side – in the large hotel bed. Logan's eyes twinkled with happiness and for a second, Veronica almost forgot that any time had passed since the last time they were like this together.

"So tell me. How did you end up here?" He said, his palm patting her bottom ever so slightly.

"The elevator – same as you," She teased, letting out a little squeal when his playful pat became a squeeze.

"You know what I mean. How did you get to work at L.A. Now?" Shifting closer to her on his pillow, his eyes narrowed in thought, but his grin continued as if he couldn't stop it.

"Oh! You mean that." She laughed, tossing him a little wink of mischief. "When I decided that the F.B.I. life wasn't for me, I figured that being a lawyer wasn't going to be any better, so I transferred into Stanford'a journalism program. I thought that being a journalist would allow me to still do my investigation work, but also get me out of the trenches, so to speak. Plus, editors kind of look the other way so long as you get the story and everything _seems_ like it was obtained legally. The F.B.I. was a little sticky on that whole 'legally obtained' thing."

A shiver ran through Veronica as Logan began making small circles with his thumb on her butt cheek and she bit her lip, trying not to initiate round-three quite as quickly as she initiated round-two. ""

'Yeah, but 'L.A. Now' isn't really known for their hard-hitting investigative reporting." He chuckled. "How did you land there?"

Biting her lip, Veronica shifted her arm under her pillow, avoiding Logan's eyes. "I usually write under a pseudonym – Victoria Lilly – to keep the crazies from tracking me down. But the expose I wrote for 'Vanity Fair' about Monticello Chemicals tainting the water supply in a small Texas town had some pretty...negative...responses."

The smile dropped from Logan's face, deep lines running across his forehead. "What kind of response?"

Veronica shrugged, finally meeting his gaze. "Tires slashed. A dead rat duct taped to my condo door. But it was the picture of my dad in his office that finally made me back off from the investigative stuff – at least for now."

"Fuck," Logan muttered, shaking his head. "How did they find out?"

"Money. Intimidation. I mean, I had been doing it for a couple of years – it was really only a matter of time before someone hated me enough to find out who I really was." Rolling onto her side, Logan's hand rose as she turned before landing on her hip. "'L.A. Now' is a regular salary, with some easy investigation pieces and some light and fluffy stuff that I can write while half asleep. Plus, I can use my real name. Up until now, if you Google'd me, nothing I've written will come up, unless you knew my alias."

The corner of Logan's mouth turned up in a wry smile and he tossed her a wink. "That's why I couldn't find anything about you when your dad mentioned you were a journalist."

"He couldn't help himself, huh." She remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Nope. Your old man is way too proud of you not to brag to your ex-boyfriend about how great you were doing." Scratching his beard, Logan chuckled.

"Ex-boyfriend." She repeated, as if she couldn't remember that he was, in fact, her ex.

"Well, that's what I am, right?" Shuffling closer to Veronica on his pillow, Logan's hand pulled her hip gently towards him and she replied by shuffling closer to him until their bodies hovered just inches apart. "Your _ex_ -boyfriend?"

Veronica's hand slipped across the covers to connect with Logan's arm, her fingers sliding along his muscular bicep, across his shoulder to rest lightly on the soft bristles of his beard. Moving his head slightly, he kissed the tip of her thumb as she stroked the dark brown hairs near his mouth.

"What if I want to be all Katherine Hepburn about this and just take you as my lover." She said quietly, her eyes skimming the rough outline of his jaw.

"Right now, I'd settle for that." He said, his fingers pressing into her hip, coaxing her to come closer until they were hovering close enough to feel each other's body heat.

"Hmmm _right now_ , huh. But then what?" Taking a slow breath, she inhaled musky scent of herself still imbedded in his beard. "Where does this go?"

Logan shrugged, his body closing the gap so he was pressed against her fully and her breath hitched as she found him beginning to become hard against her. "I don't know...but I'd give everything to find out."

Her open lips were stopped from speech by his lips as they brushed gently across. Closing her eyes, Veronica wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself close to him as her legs spread under the covers, her knee hooking around his hip, making sure his body didn't go anywhere. Logan's lips continued to touch hers, then release, and she found herself chasing them with an urgency she hadn't felt in a while.

When the phone next to the bed rang, Veronica nearly jumped out of her skin and she pulled away from Logan quickly, in partial shock. "Who the fuck...everyone calls me on my cell?" Frowning, Logan swiftly spun around in the bed, grabbing the receiver. "Hello?"

Logan's eyes went wide in shock for a second before glancing down at Veronica as he nodded into the phone. "Yeah. Just a second." Covering the mouthpiece, Logan held out the phone to her. "It's Keith. For you."

Veronica's whole body shook in a visceral response to her father's name, said to her while she was naked. Taking a second to let her brain catch up to what was in fact happening; she stretched out her hand slowly, looking to take the receiver. With a nod, Logan handed it to her before leaning back against the headboard, his hands resting behind his head.

Ignoring the glorious view of Logan's flexed pecs, Veronica placed the phone to her ear and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on what was about to happen.

"Heeeyyyy Dad..."

A deep sigh swept through the phone and Veronica could only imagine the eye-roll. "Heeeyyyy Veronica. I tried to call you on your cell, but you wouldn't pick up."

Pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger Veronica winced in agony. "Right. Sorry. It's in my purse."

"And where is your purse, dear Veronica?" Her father asked slowly.

"Not...here?" She replied, opening one eye to glance out the bedroom doors towards the living room.

Keith let out a huff of frustration and Veronica prayed that the bed would swallow her whole. "Look, we're all adults here, Veronica. I figured...this...would happen when you went to interview Logan. When you didn't answer your phone, I just played a hunch. So why don't you to get yourselves together and come and have this delicious lasagne I made. It's too much for just you and me anyhow."

"Okay Dad." Veronica pinched the bridge of her nose. "See you soon."

Handing the phone back to Logan without turning around, she let out a deep sigh. Get the story, maybe catch up on things for old times' sake, get out of Neptune – that had been the plan. _This_...this was not part of the plan.

"What'd he say?" Logan asked, the phone chiming as he replaced it on the charger.

"He wants the little buddy who helped him take down the Kane family to come to dinner." She sighed, glancing over her shoulder at him. "With me, of course."

A look of glee spread across Logan's face and he shuffled himself down towards her, wrapping his arms around her tightly, his lips coming to rest at the crook of her neck and she squealed as his beard tickled her skin.

"See, I told you he likes me now." Logan murmured into her flesh, the vibration sending a warm tingling across her skin. "I mean, how could he not?"

Relaxing into his arms, Veronica let out a little huff of annoyance. Get in, get the story, maybe have a bit of time to catch up, then leave – that was the plan. As Logan sucked the sensitive skin at the crook of her neck, Veronica began to lose rational thought again. Maybe, this wasn't the plan, but she had to admit, it was so much better.


	4. Chapter 4

Veronica parked her car in front of her father's house; glancing down the sidewalk towards the front door, she wrinkled her nose. They weren't teenagers anymore, but there was still the same anxiety about having Logan over for dinner that she felt all those years ago, the first time they tried this exercise.

"Think he still has a rifle with a spotting scope?" Logan teased, looking out the passenger side window towards the house.

"We aren't making out in the car." Veronica sighed, turning off the car engine and glancing back at the house.

"Yet." He chuckled, leaning over to steal a quick kiss from her.

As he retreated, Veronica rolled her eyes. They were both thirty years-old, and yet there was a teenage giddiness that seemed to come out of nowhere, tickling her belly from the first moment she saw him. Maybe that's why she felt like she was caught doing something unseemly when her father called the hotel room.

"This is ridiculous. We're both adults." She muttered. "We're just going to go in there and have a nice, civilized meal with my father. Like grown-ups."

Logan shrugged. "I _am_ the Mayor now. Can't get much more grown-up than that."

A small snort preceded Veronica's laugh and she shook her head. Reaching for the door, she let out another deep exhale. "Come on, Mr. Mayor – let's go have dinner."

Walking around the front of the car, Veronica met Logan on the sidewalk. He had the luxury of being able to change out of his suit and was now in a pair of khakis and a dark grey button-down shirt – another outfit that Veronica had deemed to be very 'grown-up' as she watched him get dressed through the glass doors as she quickly showered. Offering the crook of his arm to her, he grinned down at her. Sliding her arm through his, she moved closer to him, returning his smile as they walked up to the front door.

Their feet barely hit the porch landing when the door opened – Keith Mars' face held in a firm, tight frown.

"You're late. The lasagne's cold."

Ignoring him, Veronica let go of Logan's arm and walked over to her father, kissing him on the cheek. "Please – like you've never been late for dinner in your life. And the lasagne is probably at the point where it won't burn my tongue off when I bite into it."

Keith's frown cracked slightly as the corner of his mouth twitched, trying not to reveal a smile. Hugging her quickly, he kissed the side of her head. "But I was expecting you to help me make it. How will I know if I used too much cheese or not enough **salt**?"

Walking past Keith into the living room, Veronica turned just in time to see Keith offer his hand to Logan, shaking it as he winked at him. Pursing her lips, she quickly realized her father was going to have fun with this situation – maybe even at her expense.

"Your doctor told you to cut out salt a while ago, so I hope that's all light cheese and no salt in there." She stated, dropping her purse near the end of the couch.

"I know what that doctor said, and I say you can't make a proper lasagne without full-fat cheese." Keith held on to the doorknob, glancing out onto the porch and back to her. "Where are your bags? I thought you were staying here tonight then going back to L.A.?"

Veronica's mouth opened but no sound came out. Glancing between Logan and Keith, her eyes went wide as heat rose in her cheeks, realizing she just assumed she was going back to the hotel with Logan later.

"I...they're in the car...but I..."

Closing the door, Keith waved his hand in the air with a chuckle. "That's alright, Veronica - you don't have to explain anything to me. I don't care where you sleep. It just means I don't have to pull out the couch for you later."

Coming to stand next to Veronica, Logan's hand naturally fell to rest on her lower back and a tingle of warmth ran up her spine. She had never really been forthcoming with her father about any of the men she dated – and over the years only two others had been deemed good enough to meet him. This was all new territory for her.

"I'll make sure she doesn't end up on a park bench at the beach, sir." Logan chimed in.

"Good man." Pointing his finger at Logan, Keith finally cracked a wide grin. "Now that all of the sleeping arrangements are settled, let's eat."

Slightly dumbfounded, Veronica kept glancing from Logan to Keith, a frown wrinkling her brow. This was not the conversation she expected from her father at all. It took Logan's hand giving her a slight push to move her before Veronica even realized that Keith was leading them through the archway near the front door and into the small dining room where all the food sat with tinfoil covering it on top of the round wooden table. The second Keith pulled the covering off the large lasagne, Veronica's mouth began to water and she closed her eyes to inhale the wonderful scent that filled the room, forgetting all about her embarrassment.

"Ironically, the last time I made this lasagne was for Logan too." Keith remarked as he continued to uncover the dishes. "But I knew he was coming over that time."

Logan scratched at his beard as he took a seat, avoiding Veronica's questioning stare as she sat down beside him. "Yeah – I guess you're right, Keith. That was almost six months ago."

"Okay. What am I missing? Did you two become BFF's while I was gone?" She paused for a moment, considering what she wanted more – to dig into the lasagne or hear the story.

"How do I put this..." Clasping his hands together, Logan pressed his lips to his knuckles, as if lost in a thought. "Looking into Duncan's finances was not the only thing I hired your father for – he also did all the background checks on my staff, just to make sure everyone was on the up-and-up."

"Okaaaayyyy..." Veronica said as she reached over to serve herself a large helping of lasagne.

"Except when I asked him to check out some suspicious behaviour at my campaign office, what he found was that my girlfriend at the time, Julie, was sleeping with my publicist – Rebecca - in the office, after hours." Logan shook his head, his eyes darting from Veronica to Keith and back.

Veronica jerked in surprise, the lasagne falling off the spatula and landing in a messy pile on her plate with a large splat sound, little drops of tomato sauce splattering on her white blouse. "Shit. Sorry. There's a lot to unpack in that sentence."

Leaning back in his chair, Logan laughed, his hands coming to rest behind his head. "Tell me about it. So instead of just telling me, Keith made me dinner before sliding those incriminating photos over to my side of the table."

"I just figured, a nice meal would take the edge off the news just a bit." Keith lowered himself into this chair, chuckling.

"That it did." Logan nodded. "Plus, I had some great leftovers to eat while I packed up my belongings from the house and left."

Dropping the spatula back in the pan, Veronica's appetite suddenly disappeared. "House?"

"We lived together for three years." His eyes focusing on Veronica, a soft smile twisted on his lips. "Why? Did you actually think I lived at the Grande all this time?"

Like tiny Tetris pieces dropping in her brain, Veronica began to connect things together, forming a larger picture of Logan as he was now. She remembered seeing something about a girlfriend in earlier articles about his campaign, but didn't see any photos or mention at his swearing in, or at any events she found him attending after he became mayor. In her mind, Veronica just chalked it up to being _a_ girlfriend and not _the_ girlfriend.

"Quite honestly, I don't know what I thought. I mean, I did all this research and we talked about your campaign and the Kane family, and I think head is just trying to wrap itself around the fact that I'm sitting here with you and we aren't teenagers anymore."

His hand slid under the table to rest on hers and he leaned closer, his dark eyes smiling at her. "I know we aren't – isn't it great."

Veronica's heart swelled with emotion. All the things she knew now that she didn't know when she was a freshman in college – all the experiences she had, the loves, the trials, the adventures, the work – for a moment she felt like it all came down to this exact moment that led her back to _him_. To _them_.

Squeezing his fingers, she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "Yes. It's pretty great."

The high pitched sound of metal knocking against glass made Veronica turn, glancing across the table as Keith put his butter knife back down on the table with a deep sigh. "I'm okay with the fact that you two are back to having _sleepovers_ , but could I just ask that you keep the kissing to a minimum in front of me, please?"

A deep blush spread past Logan's beard all the way to his hairline as he pulled back from Veronica, his eyes staying on his empty plate. "No problem, Keith."

Picking up her fork, Veronica scooped up a large piece of lasagne, watching the heat rise as he brought it towards her mouth. "I dunno if I can make that promise, Dad."

Keith rolled his eyes, pointing his fork at her from across the table. "Then this will be the last lasagne I make for you. Logan, you'll just have to come over by yourself next time, if your girlfriend over there can't mind her manners."

Letting out a snort of laughter, Logan reached over to help himself to the food. "Duly noted."

Veronica's eyes narrowed as she continued to chew, glancing between the two men at the table. If this is how the dinner was going to progress tonight, she was in for a very interesting evening.


	5. Chapter 5

Wandering back into the living room, Keith placed his coffee cup down on the table before lowering himself down into his easy chair with a groan.

"You still haven't called my **trainer** ," Logan chided him, stretching his arm behind Veronica on the sofa.

"Trainer, schmainer." Keith scoffed, waving his hand dismissively at Logan. "I'm too old for six-pack abs anyhow."

Veronica frowned, looking over the edge of her coffee cup. Normally she drank decaf at this late hour, but the idea of having enough energy for another round of sex before bed was too good to pass up.

"I told you, he could help you with your back – give you some simple exercises to strengthen your muscles." Logan returned, chuckling. "Although there are some seniors Iron Man competitions out there that you may want to check out..."

"I'm still spry enough to track down the bad guys – that's all that matters." Keith smiled, glancing between Veronica and Logan.

"Speaking of which, Dad...Logan tells me that you were the one who found the evidence against Duncan and Jake." Veronica began, leaning towards Keith. "Care to give me an 'anonymous' quote for my article?"

Pursing his lips, Keith hummed in that discontented way that Veronica remembered from her childhood. "So that's why you came out here to interview Logan? It wasn't really about being the youngest Mayor in California?"

Coughing, Veronica averted her eyes from Logan's. "No. It was more about _how_ he became the youngest Mayor in California. He already told me that you were the investigator, but since we are related, there's a conflict so..."

Rolling his eyes, Keith kicked his feet up to rest on the coffee table. "...so if I stay anonymous, no one knows I was involved."

Veronica bit her lip, her nose scrunching up. "Yeah. Kind of."

"Then ask your question, Ms. Big-shot Reporter, and if I like it, I'll give you a quote." Keith grumbled.

She knew that her dad hated when she played fast and loose with the rules – even though she knew he did the same thing. Her head ran through a mental card catalogue of questions before coming on the one that she felt would give her the best response for her story.

"Why did you take this case?"

Exhaling, Keith's eyes met Veronica's – hard and serious. "I took this case because I feel that people should know the truth about the politicians they elect. This brought to light some serious ethical questions about Duncan Kane and I'm glad that they were uncovered before he was potentially the Mayor of Neptune."

Her eyes narrowing, Veronica nodded, glancing over her shoulder towards Logan before looking back to her day.

"That's a very quotable answer – thank you Dad. Now, will you tell me the real reason you took this case?"

"Glad I haven't lost my touch when it comes to talking to the press." Keith's eyebrow arched at his daughter, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "I did it because the Kane family already held too much power in this city. If Duncan became Mayor then they would have held all the cards – they could have done whatever they wanted – appropriated land in low-income neighbourhoods for corporations to build on, gone after people that disagreed with Jake's vision for Neptune – pretty much anything where them and their rich friends benefitted and the middle-class and poor people of the city would have been tossed to the side."

The corner of Veronica's mouth twitched into a crooked smile. "Why Dad...who'd have thought you were a socialist anarchist. Up with people, down with the corporation."

Scratching the top of his bald head, Keith chuckled. "I'm for anything that helps the common man...and woman..you should know that about me by now."

Jerking her thumb at Logan, Veronica clicked the side of her mouth. "And what about this millionaire over here?"

"What about him?" Keith laughed, dropping his feet back to the ground and moving forward to pick up his coffee mug. "He's been serving meals at the soup kitchen every Sunday since you left – that's how we ran into each other again – I went to volunteer the first Thanksgiving you decided not to come home for the holiday. Logan also sits on the boards of several charities – Big Brothers and Sisters, the Neptune Sexual Assault Centre, The Boys and Girls Club. Or did you miss that in your research, Veronica?"

Veronica bit her lip, her eyes dropping to focus on her coffee cup. She had to admit that when she got her assignment, she was sidetracked by the photos of Logan – the first ones she allowed herself to see in years – and may have skipped over some of the fact, knowing she would fill them in later when she wrote her story.

"I...knew...I just...you know...didn't make that the focus of my research."

Dropping his hand to Veronica's lower back, Logan shimmied closer to her on the couch. "That's okay – we'll have plenty of time to reacquaint ourselves with each other in the next little while."

"Logan is not the boy I remember," Keith stated quietly. "He's grown into one honourable, trustworthy young man – someone I'm proud to have cast my vote for in the last election. And I hope that you two do spend some time getting to know each other again, now that you have put the foolishness of your teenage years far behind you both."

A warm pink flowed over Logan's face as he nodded, making eye contact with her father. "Thank you, sir."

Glancing between the two men, Veronica's heart swelled with emotion. She still knew who Logan was, deep down in his soul – the person he showed himself to be with her all those years ago. That boy with the keen sense of justice - the protector, the fighter, the lover – had grown to focus all those wonderful parts of his personality to find a place where he could take that strength of character and let it shine.

Grasping his hand, Veronica caught his gaze, holding it for a second, overwhelmed by her emotions. "I'm sorry I didn't come looking for you on my own. I'm sorry I waited this long."

Squeezing her hand, Logan kissed her forehead, smiling back at her. "Bygones. You're here now...that's what matters."

"Well...I'm going for a refill and to grab dessert. If you'll both excuse me..." Rising from his seat, Keith nodded at them both as he moved past the couch, disappearing back into the kitchen.

Cupping Veronica's face in his hands, Logan kissed her gently, holding his lips to hers as a rush of warmth spread over her body. Grasping his shoulders, Veronica pulled herself closer to his body, keeping herself connected to him. When they finally parted a bashful smile crossed her lips.

"I want to know everything, Logan. Every moment that I missed of your life – I want to go back to the hotel with you tonight and stay up all night learning all about everything I wasn't here for."

Pulling her into his embrace, Logan kissed the top of her head as she snuggled against his chest, her head pressing against his heart.

"I want that too." He whispered. "I want that more than anything."

Closing her eyes, Veronica exhaled, for the first time in what felt like forever.


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't think I've ever had champagne at midnight when it wasn't New Year's Eve." Veronica raised her tall glass stem to Logan and touched the rim of his glass gently, the sound of the fine crystal sending as high, sharp tone reverberating through the room.

"Think of it as making up for all those times I wasn't around to kiss you at midnight." Taking a long sip of champagne, he kept his eyes glued to her over his glass.

Adjusting the thick white robe around her, Veronica sat on one end of the couch, stretching her feet up onto the glass coffee table. Although they said they were going to talk when they got back to the hotel, a blissful hour of no talking in bed began within seconds of the door closing behind them. The coffee had its desired effect and when Veronica started to get a little too jittery; Logan suggested a luxurious soak in the tub together, where they could finally relax and talk. And talk they did – about everything they could think to discuss about their lives during the in between of then and now. They finally left the warm Jacuzzi tub when they both began to prune and Veronica started to make suggestions that more food would be nice. That was when Logan called down to room service for sustenance - champagne, an assortment of cheeses, and fruit – in an effort to keep them content for the rest of the night.

Walking around the back of the couch, Logan paused to kiss the top of Veronica's head before continuing his trek, finding his place right beside her. Stretching his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her closer to him as his legs stretched next to hers onto the table. Resting her head near his exposed collar bone, Veronica took a deep breath, trying to hold the scent of him deep inside of her.

"So, when do you have to go tomorrow?" Logan murmured, placing another kiss on her head.

A deep prickle of sadness rose through Veronica's chest. He had tried to start this conversation while they were lounging in the tub, but Veronica had asked that they bookmark the discussion to return to later. As the clock continued to count down the hours until her departure, she realized they couldn't put it off any longer.

"When I planned to stay with my dad, I was thinking of leaving around 10ish. After morning traffic, but it would still give me time to take a good chunk out of writing my story at home before I have to go into the office tomorrow."

A low hum of acknowledgement vibrated in Logan's chest. "I have a breakfast meeting at 8 a.m. downstairs with my team. But I got my assistant to cancel my meetings yesterday by telling her I had food poisoning, so if I'm a little late, there's already an excuse in place."

Sitting up to look at him, Veronica chuckled. "You told them you had food poisoning?"

"Yep – I sent her a text asking her to cancel everything on my schedule for the rest of the day when we were taking the elevator up to my room." The corner of Logan's mouth twitched up into a wicked smile before he took another quick sip of his drink. "Not that I thought that we were going to have sex – I just wanted to try and talk to you for longer than the 45 minutes my assistant had allotted you. And fake food poisoning seemed the quickest way to keep people from trying to talk me out of it."

Taking the last sip of her champagne, Veronica placed the glass on the table, shaking her head. "Well, I'm glad that you made the time for me – however you managed it, Mr. Mayor."

"Yes, well, tomorrow will suck for many reasons; the first being that I currently have 137 unanswered emails and around 40 unanswered text messages to go through." Finishing his champagne in his glass, he placed his stem beside Veronica's on the table before returning to her, taking her hands gently in his. "The second is that I still don't know when we'll get to see each other again."

Veronica inhaled a deep, shaky breath. She wanted so much to stay and be with him – her life in L.A. be damned – but the thought of giving it all up to jump into this unknown still gave her pause.

"I…I don't know either."

Nodding, Logan averted his eyes from hers, his hands releasing hers as he scratched his beard in thought. A heavy silence fell between them as the wheels in Veronica's head turned, trying to think of a way for them to keep their lives, but be together.

"I suppose moving Neptune closer to L.A. is impossible." Logan stated with a small laugh.

Pursing her lips, Veronica wrinkled her nose up at him. "Hmmmmm…don't think that's viable."

Reaching for her hand again, Logan opened her palm to him, gently tracing her hand with the tip of his index finger and a shiver of excitement ran through Veronica.

"Do the long distance thing? I can fly you out when you're not working. I can fly out when I get a day off."

"Do you get a day off?" She asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

"No, not really. And if I keep faking food poisoning someone may get suspicious." Flipping her hand over, he continued to trace the top of her hand, pausing at the tip of each red manicured nail.

A gentle silence spread between them as Veronica watched Logan's fingers moving along her skin. "I mean, I could go back to free-lance work. L.A. Now was just a means to an end – it isn't what I actually love doing. But I would have to go back to using my alias, and now that people in some dangerous circles already know who I really am…"

"Marry me." Logan blurted, his hand stopping on Veronica's ring finger.

Gasping, Veronica's body flushed red hot with surprise. "What?"

"That's the answer. Just marry me." For a moment Veronica thought he was kidding but when she looked deep into his eyes, she saw just how serious he was.

"I….I…" Veronica's brain kicked into overtime trying to put all the pieces of what was happening together as quickly as possible to continue the conversation.

"No. Really. Hear me out. If you marry me, then you can come back to Neptune and keep writing your investigative pieces. I have access to security – I just haven't needed it up to this point – through the County Sherriff's department. If we were married, that would extend to you too. Plus, I still have enough money to buy us a house with private security as well."

Veronica was feeling dizzy – from the alcohol, from the lack of sleep, from the marriage proposal. Blinking rapidly, she continued to try and process what Logan was really saying.

"If I marry you, I can't file my story about the election." The random thought whipped through her brain, falling from her lips before she could stop it.

Shrugging, Logan held her hands in his once more and she felt him shake slightly in the excitement of the moment.

"So file the story and we'll get married after it's published. We'll just say we reconnected because of the story and decided to get married after. It'll be fine."

A little, ironic chuckle rose in Veronica. "It may disqualify me for the Pulitzer."

"Pulitzer, schmulitzer." He scoffed, waving his hand in the air. "When you go back to investigative reporting, you'll win one for an even bigger, better story."

Letting go of her hands, Logan slipped his hands around her body, clutching her buttocks and he lifted her up, moving her towards him. With a squeal of delight, she spread her legs, landing straddled across his lap, facing him. Pressing his forehead to hers, he kissed her happily, and she responded, wrapping her arms around his head, deepening their kiss for a moment before pulling away.

"This is ludicrous." Her nose playfully brushed his before she planted another quick kiss on his lips, her hands slipping to cup his furry cheeks. "We can't just reconnect after all this time and get married. I mean, who does that?"

"We do." Logan chuckled, squeezing her bottom through the thick terry-towel. "Who cares what other people do. We've never been like other people – why should we care about that now."

Sliding down on his lap, Veronica's exposed sex pressed against him, sending a shiver of pleasure through her. This wasn't helping her decision making ability, but it was still too hard to resist.

"Just think about it…" He began, shifting his grasp on her to under her robe, his hands warm on her cool skin. "Coming home at from work to _this_. Talking about our day. Sharing each other's achievements. Making love at all hours of the night. Doesn't that sound more than just a little appealing?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Veronica closed her eyes, visions connecting with Logan's words floating through her mind. She had long given up the thought of making a life with someone – having searched in vain for what she had with Logan with others and never finding it. But here it was, again. She could try and rationalize it all she wanted – think about it for days and weeks on end as she once did – but it wouldn't change the fact that when she was with him, he just felt like she was _home_.

Opening her eyes, a wide grin spread across Veronica's face, her eyes lighting up with excitement. Arching his eyebrow, Logan returned her grin, pressing his forehead against hers.

"So. Is that a _yes_?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Two Months Later...**

Veronica swung her hips back and forth, standing in front of Rita's desk, unable to contain her excitement as the prim woman picked up the phone and dialed.

"Ms. Mars is here to see you," Rita said, smiling up at Veronica and nodding.

Taking it as an invitation, Veronica hustled to Logan's office door, bursting through just as he returned his phone to the receiver. The afternoon light streaked through the old windows, casting him in silhouette as he stood to greet her.

"Well, this is a wonderful surprise. I wasn't expecting you until this weekend."

"Snap decision, but I had to show you in person...it's out."

She reached into her purse, pulling out a copy of "L.A. Now" Magazine and flashed him the picture of himself, suited up in his dark blue Hugo Boss, the white shirt underneath open at the collar, one foot placed steadily on a metal chair as his hands rested on his upper thigh, a smirk gracing his bearded face looking back from the cover.

His eyes lit up as he reached for the document and Veronica handed it to him, meeting him with a quick kiss on the lips. Flipping past the cover, he thumbed through the pages until he found the headline and read it out loud.

"Star Son: from the Hollywood Hills to the Mayoral Mansion. How Logan Echolls moved from the shadow of his parent's celebrity to become the youngest Mayor in California."

"I had nothing to do with the final headline copy." Veronica raised her palms up in defense.

Chuckling, Logan closed the magazine, smiling down at the cover. "Doesn't matter. I'm just happy it finally went to print."

"This is my advance copy." She nodded at the magazine. "Hot off the press. I got the call that it came in from the printers last night so I typed up my letter of resignation and brought it in when I came into the office this morning."

Logan's wide eyes moved off the magazine to Veronica, a wide grin now taking over his lips. "Does that mean..."

Biting her lip, Veronica nodded excitedly. "Yeah. It does."

Pivoting towards his desk, Logan tossed the magazine on the surface before grabbing her hand, giving it a small tug. "Come on."

Stumbling on her heels, Veronica righted herself with a giggle and followed as he quickly made his way towards the door. Pausing at Rita's desk, Logan squeezed her hand, glancing between the women. "Rita, please call down to the county clerk's office. Tell them I need some documents registered immediately and that I'll be down in a few minutes to get them. Then, cancel all of my afternoon meetings – tell them I had some personal business come up and apologize."

Rita nodded, her mouth open slightly in shock as she took all this in. "Mr. Echolls, you also have the benefit for the Neptune Clinic tonight. Should I cancel that too?"

"Yes, with my apologies. Tell Vera when you speak to her that I will make a $25,000 donation on top of my last donation to make it up to her."

Glancing between Logan and Veronica, Rita smiled. "I'll do that."

With another tug at her hand, Logan swiftly pulled her out of the waiting area and down the hallway towards the elevators. When she paused at the doors, Logan tugged her again, his head nodding down the hall. "No. Let's take the stairs."

"Logan, the clerk won't leave before we get there." She laughed, hustling behind him.

Glancing back, his eyes narrowed his forehead creasing. "I waited almost a decade to be with you, Veronica. I don't want to wait any longer."

The metal fire door slammed against the concrete wall as Logan pushed it open, the sound reverberating down the stairwell. Slipping into the empty space, Veronica put on the brakes, pulling back on Logan's arm as she came to a halt on the landing.

"Wait. What do you mean by that? We're just getting our marriage license today right?"

A wicked twinkle appeared in Logan's eyes and he stepped back towards her, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off her feet. She squealed as he spun her towards the wall, pressing against her to keep her at eye level with him.

"Well, I was thinking...I know for a fact that Judge Mead is in his chambers, since I ran into him after a meeting this morning...and he's only a few feet away from the clerk's office..."

Veronica's breath caught in her chest, her mouth opening but no sound came out.

"Unless you want a big wedding. I mean, after the things we did to each other in bed last weekend, I don't think either of us will get away with wearing white in a church, but if that's what you want –" Logan's lips swept past her earlobe as his voice dropped to a husky whisper. "—I would gladly fulfill every dream in your pretend Wedding Plan book, Sugarpuss."

Giggling, Veronica wrapped her arms around his head as his beard tickled the skin on her neck, his lips connecting at the crease of her shoulder. "You remember that silly thing?"

Leveling his eyes back to hers again, Logan pressed his forehead to hers. "I told you before – I remember everything, Veronica."

Silence filled the concrete space as Veronica pressed her lips to his, sinking into a deep, passionate kiss. For two months, they eagerly waited for their time to be together – sharing clandestine meet-ups in the dark of night, in little hotels located half-way between Neptune and L.A.; slipping into Logan's penthouse to wait for him to get back from some social event, just to make love to him before having to drive home; even once meeting his jet on the runway in Los Angeles to share a fleeting moment of togetherness – and each time they parted, Veronica wished it would last forever.

Releasing him from her grasp, Veronica let out a contented sigh. "I should call my Dad."

"Aaaand...mood officially broken." Logan stated, lowering her back to the ground, adjusting his jacket over the prominent bulge in his pants.

Reaching into her purse, Veronica retrieved her phone, shaking her head as she laughed. She punched in her password and dialed the number to her dad's cell, biting her lip as the call connected.

"Hello daughter."

"Heeeyyyyyy dad...whatcha doing?" Gritting her teeth together, she closed her eyes, covering them with her palm.

"Paaaaperrrworrrrk." He punctuated his response with a chuckled. "Whyyyyy?"

"Want to come by City Hall and help me get married?"

Her words were met with silence on the other side. _This is it,_ she thought, _my antics have finally killed my father._

A heavy sigh swept through the phone and Veronica relaxed slightly, leaning against the wall.

"Logan?"

"Yes, Logan." She scoffed. "Who else do you think I would do this with?"

Logan raised his index finger at her, stepping back slightly as he grabbed his phone from his back pocket, hurriedly texting someone about something. When she frowned in question at him, he whispered one name to her:

"Dick."

Rolling her eyes, Veronica let out a resolved sigh. If she got to have family at this sudden elopement, she guessed it was alright if Logan had someone there too.

"Alright honey. Where do I have to be and when? And do I have to dress up?"

Her eyes skimmed her outfit – she was in white palazzo pants, a white camisole, and a black blazer. Apparently, she had subconsciously dressed for a wedding without really noticing this morning.

"Just casual, Dad. But if you still have Grandma Reynolds's pearls kicking around, I would like those for myself. Meet us in Judge Mead's chambers in about an hour. Oh, and round up Mac and Wallace if you can – if I do this without either of them, there would be hell to pay later."

Keith chuckled at the list of Veronica's demands. "Alright honey – I'll do what I can. For what it's worth, I think you and Logan will be very happy together."

Tears prickled her eyes and she blinked rapidly, trying to keep them at bay. "Thanks Daddy. I love you."

"Love you too. See you soon." Keith replied softly, his voice cracking ever so slightly before he disconnected the call.

Taking a deep inhale, Veronica paused, staring at her phone as she closed the screen. Catching her reflection in the dark glass, she smiled. She couldn't ignore the fact that these past two months were the happiest of her life and for a second, she let her mind wander to the possibilities that lay ahead – her life with Logan stretched out like a wonderful fresh sheet of white paper, just waiting to be written on.

"Are you ready?" He asked, offering her hand to her once more.

Placing her palm against hers, she squeezed tight, her gaze locking with his. "I'm ready for everything."


End file.
